Greg's Worst Nightmare
by NewlyHooked
Summary: Every day, every call, the team is put in jeopardy.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, here's one that's a little different. I hope you like it. Feedback is always accepted!**

**Disclaimer – I don't own the Flashpoint characters or premise. I make no representation or demands on the rights to the Flashpoint show or characters, just this particular storyline.**

**Fair warning:** There is character death in the story... But who is it? Read on to find out!

* * *

Greg's Worst Nightmare

The team filed into the debriefing room, dispirited. Sam was with SIU still, discussing the discharge of his weapon from the most recent hot call. The subject had taken some hostages inside a local coffee shop. Unfortunately, he escalated. Sam acted on Greg's Scorpio call but not before the subject had killed one of the hostages.

Greg pulled out the transcript of the event and started reading it to the team. They listened quietly, all appearing lost in their own thoughts. Near the end of the reading, Sam joined the team. He sat in the remaining chair at the table, the mood of the room contagious and making him quiet and circumspect as well.

"Does anyone have any questions, or anything to add?" Greg asked. He was met by silence and shaking heads. "Ok. Shift's over. Everyone head out."

The team members rose and left for the locker rooms. Greg stayed in his chair and continued working on the reports for the day's events. Finally, as the external light was fading, he signed the report, packaged it into its storage folder, and headed for the locker room himself.

After he finished changing, he sat for a few moments, just staring at the floor. He kept going over the event in his head, analyzing it and trying to identify if he could have said or done something differently. Something that may have saved both lives today.

His phone rang, the buzz of the vibrations against his side indicating a text message. Fishing his phone out of his jacket pocket, he noted a text from Marina.

_*Dinner tonight?*_

Smiling, Greg typed his response. _*Sure. My place?*_ Greg replied to the text and waited for her reply.

He picked up his bag and headed for the door with renewed energy in his step. He and Marina had been dating for a while – ever since the incident in the building where the team nearly lost Spike, Raf and Sam to three bombs in the basement of the building. The bomber, a man who was upset that his project was being stolen by his employer after he was summarily fired from the company on the trumped up accusation that his project didn't work, later helped Spike disarm the bomb that would have brought the building down on everyone's head and probably caused considerable damage to the surrounding city blocks. Greg had called Marina that night and taken her up on an invitation to an art opening. He was glad he did.

_*Ok. I'll be there at 7!*_ Was Marina's quick reply. Greg headed out to the parking lot with a smile on his face. He had more energy in his step from the thought of seeing Marina tonight. She always helped him put the stress of the day behind him, and kept him from brooding too much over what happened and what could have been.

He made it home by 6, and started pulling the ingredients together for a pasta meal. As he was putting the rolls into the oven to warm, Marina rang the doorbell. Greg went to the door to open it and smiled. She smiled back and entered his house. They embraced briefly in the foyer and then moved into the kitchen.

While Greg put the finishing touches on their meal, she kept the conversation light, knowing that this would keep his mind off what happened at work. Greg appreciated that, as he didn't want to bring the mood of the evening down.

They sat at the table and enjoyed his World Famous Pasta Carbonara and rolls over a lovely bottle of wine that Marina brought. Once finished, they moved to the living room, where they sat quietly cuddling on the couch, watching the flames dance in the fireplace and just enjoying each other's company. As the evening wore on, Greg eventually talked a bit about what happened earlier in the day and his questions about how he handled the situation.

"Do you think that the subject would have let the hostage go?" Marina asked.

Greg thought about the answer a minute. "I don't know." He replied honestly. "Everything seemed in control until his wife arrived on the scene and started talking with us. That agitated him."

"But… you usually try to get family to help, so that you can get an understanding of the subject?" Marina prompted.

"Yes. It's vital to our understanding the subject and developing a profile, which we then use to negotiate with them." Greg said. "But there must have been something we missed. Why else would he get so agitated when she appeared?"

Marina was silent a few moments, at a loss for words. She wanted to comfort Greg; to get him to stop thinking about the day and focus on moving forward. Finally, she turned in his arms and kissed him gently. He responded, hesitantly at first, and then more urgently. Their combined desire rose, and they moved to the bedroom to participate in the best kind of healing. Afterwards, they fell asleep in each other's arms, the day's events quickly becoming a distant memory.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Greg walked purposefully from the locker room towards the briefing room. It was a bright, sunny and warm day. He smiled as he greeted his team and started to run down the business of the day.

"Ok, we have a warrant to process this afternoon with the Guns and Gangs team. Until then…"

_"Hot Call, Team One. Suspicious package, Dumbarton building downtown."_

The team immediately rose from their chairs and headed for the weapons lockers to gear up for the call. Winnie sent the address for the location to their PDAs. Within four minutes, they were in their black SUVs, heading downtown.

"Winnie, do you have any details on the package?" Spike asked.

"It was reported that it was found in a trash can on the basement level. It is a white vinyl gym bag." Various jokes went through the team about having or not having one of these bags.

The team arrived at the scene and Spike immediately set to work, getting Babycakes ready. The rest of the team entered the building, working on making sure the evacuation was completed. Spike and Raf headed to the basement level where the bomb was reported as located. Greg could hear Spike talking to Raf about how to approach the package.

"There are a number of people in an office on the basement floor that haven't evacuated." Sam's voice came over the radio.

Sam could be heard pounding on the door and identifying himself. A woman's voice came over the radio, defying Sam and declaring that she would not be leaving because of another fire drill. Greg heard Sam reply that it wasn't a fire drill, but the woman refused to comply. Greg instructed Sam to do whatever necessary to get those people out.

A few shots rang out over the radio – Sam shooting out the glass door so he could gain access to the room. He could be heard instructing the people in the room to leave when there was an explosion.

"Spike! Sam! Raf!" Greg shouted into the radio. "What's your status?"

There was silence on the line.

"Team One – what's your status?

A long moment passed as Greg waited for a response. Finally a small cough could be heard.

"Spike here." The voice said. Greg was immensely relieved to hear his bomb tech's voice.

"Spike – you ok?" Greg ask.

"Yeah. Just a couple bumps and bruises. Got knocked down."

"What about Raf? Can you see him?" Greg asked, anxious to hear word of his rookie.

"Hold on." Spike replied. There was a rustling sound, and then quiet swearing came over the radio.

"Boss…. Raf… he didn't make it."

Greg felt as though he had been punched in the stomach. The rookie, so promising, had not survived his first month on the job. He bowed his head, grimacing against the knowledge.

"Spike – situation report?" Ed's voice came over the radio. Greg could hear Spike clinically reporting that there had been an explosion and the package had been destroyed. The hall had collapsed on his end.

"Spike," Greg interjected, "see if you can locate Sam and get a status. He's not responding."

"Copy" Spike said. Greg nearly held his breath, waiting for Spike to find Sam.

"Boss. I found Sam." Spike's voice came over the radio. It sounded flat and emotionless. "There was a second bomb. It looks like Sam was caught in the blast. Boss I… I can't find a pulse."

_Oh, dear God._ Greg thought. _Sam…_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Greg gave himself a moment to mourn the loss of his two team members. He looked around, searching for something to say. Jules was standing nearby. She stood stock-still, staring blankly at the building where Sam had lost his life. Greg's heart went out to her. He called her name, and she turned her head towards him, hurt and anguish in her eyes.

"Boss, we have another device down here."

Spike's voice broke Greg out of his grief. "Can you disarm it?"

"Standby." Spike responded. A few moments passed, and Greg was sure Spike was using one of his tools to examine this new bomb.

"There's a chemical fuse on the device. I can't remove it without detonating the device."

"How much time do we have?" Greg asked.

"Maybe five minutes." Spike replied.

Greg's mind went into overdrive. Five minutes. That's not enough time to get them out.

"Spike, get out of there." Greg ordered.

"Wait boss, we have survivors down here. We can't leave them."

"How many?" Came Ed's voice. The calm within the storm.

"About eight. One's trapped under rubble."

"We're heading in." Said Ed.

"No good." Spike replied. "The hallway is collapsed on either end. We're trapped here.

Greg's mind started spinning again. He focused on the solution, not the problem.

"Jules, do you have the building plans?" Jules didn't reply.

"Jules?" Greg turned to look at Jules. She shook herself out of her shocked state and looked at Greg.

"What? Oh, yes." She disappeared into the command truck and re-emerged with plans for the building. Ed joined them as they spread the plans out on the hood of the SUV. They examined the plans and Ed pointed to a wall separating the building's basement from the nearby subway tunnel.

"Here." He said. "I can go down that shaft and set a charge that will break through the wall. Then we can use a harness to get the survivors out.

"Good." Greg replied. "Do it."

Those in the area leapt into action. A PD tow truck was driving onto the plaza and back up near the shaft entrance leading down to the subway tunnel. Ed oversaw the effort to open the grate and scope out the shaft for any obstructions.

"Spike, How are you doing down there?" Greg asked.

"I think I can buy us some time. This is a pencil fuse. It's really old school." Greg could hear Spike opening something and then a liquid pouring. "I'm pouring liquid nitrogen into it to freeze it. It should buy us about 40 minutes."

"Good thinking, Spike." Greg replied. _Finally, something looks to be going right!_

"Spike." Ed's voice came through the radio. "I'm going to come down this shaft and set a small charge to break through the wall."

Greg could see Ed tethered to a rope that was being lowered down the shaft. He had a small bag with him. As Ed's head disappeared below the lip of the shaft, Spike's voice came over the radio.

"Hold on a sec… There is a motion sensor on the device. Let me disable it before you do that, so we don't set off the device."

Jules left the command truck and approached Greg.

"Boss, we have information on who the bomber is." Jules said.

"Do you have an address?"

"Yes."

"Good." Greg replied. "Send a photo to Sam and Ed's phones and head over there."

"Copy that." Jules said, tapping out a command on her phone as she headed to an SUV. She climbed into the car and headed out away from the scene, towards the subject's house.

"Boss!" Spike's voice came over the radio. "The subject! He's one of the civilians down here."

_What?_ Greg thought to himself. "Spike, are you sure?"

"Yes! He's the security guard. The one who called in the package." Spike replied quickly.

"Ok, Spike." Greg replied, trying to remain calm. "Don't spook him. Do you think he's got another device, or a remote detonator?"

"I don't think so." Spike replied. "He's got no bag with him, and if he had a remote, I think he would have used it by now.

"Ok, good." Greg replied. "Ed, how are you progressing?"

"Nearly there." Came Ed's voice, slightly echoing in the concrete shaft.

"Spike, move away from the wall near you, towards the room the civilians are in. Prepare them for a small blast." Ed's voice said. _Thank god he can focus._ Greg thought.

"I'm clear." Came Spike's reply.

"Boss." A new voice came over the radio.

"Winnie?" Greg asked. "What do you have for me?"

"No good news, I'm afraid."

_She sounds like she's been crying._ Greg thought. He steeled himself for her news.

"Jules was in an MVA on her way to the subject's house. She was hit by a tractor trailer that lost control and T-boned her as she went through an intersection."

Greg stopped. He held his breath. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear what was next and he had a horrible feeling about what it would be. He felt his chest constrict painfully.

"Boss, she was killed in the accident."

There was silence on the radio. Greg couldn't believe it. _Three_ of his team killed inside an hour on this call. And Jules! She was one of the best!

"Boss…?" Winnie's voice came through the radio again.

"Copy That." Greg said quietly.

"Boss?" Ed's calm voice came through the radio. It helped Greg get centered again and focus on the job.

"Yeah, Eddie?" Greg replied.

"Shall we continue?" Ed asked. He rarely asked that question, so it was a measure of how upset Ed was about what had been happening to the team.

"The safety of those civilians is paramount." Came Greg's reply. "Let's get them out of there."

"Copy that." Ed replied. "Spike, are you ready?"

"Ready." Spike replied.

"The charge is in place. Timer is set." Ed replied. "Bring me back up."

Greg could see the tow truck attendant pull the lever that would bring the rope up with his friend. The attendant moved the lever back, and then activated the pulley again. His posture changed, and he looked frantic. Greg took a stop forwards, towards the truck.

"What's the problem?" Ed's voice came over the radio.

Greg saw the attendant grab his radio. "The winch is frozen. I can't pull you up or down." The attendant's voice betrayed his concern.

"Keep trying!" Ed ordered. Greg could see the rope shifting. It was obvious Ed was starting to climb the rope to get to safety. Greg watched, everything seeming to work in slow motion. The attendant, working the winch controls. The rope, vibrating with Ed's efforts to pull himself up. The smoke, fire and debris that exploded from the shaft.

When the dust settled, Greg straightened from where he had crouched to protect himself from the blast. He turned and looked with horror at the shaft. Ed's broken body lay sprawled on the concrete near the shaft opening.

"Ed!" Greg yelled, running towards him. He reached Ed's body and checked for a pulse. There was one. It was faint, but there was a pulse. Ed opened his eyes and looked into his friend's eyes.

"Greg." Ed said quietly. Greg leaned down and put his ear close to Ed's mouth, to better hear his words.

"Tell Sophie…Tell her I love her." Greg raised his head to look at his friend.

"You'll be telling her yourself." Greg said. "EMS is on its way."

"Loved you... like a brother." Came Ed's quiet reply. Then he closed his eyes.

Greg stared at Ed for a moment, and then felt for a pulse. There was none. His best friend was gone. He sat there on the pavement, holding Ed's broken body, trying desperately to hold on to his sanity. Tears flowed down his face.

"Sir, you have to let him go." One of the paramedics said, breaking the silence around Greg.

"We'll take care of him, sir."

Greg reluctantly surrendered his best friend to the paramedics. He watched in a detached way as one checked for breathing and a pulse. The paramedic looked up at his partner and shook his head. Confirmation that Greg's best friend and the best sniper Team One had ever had had left this world.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Greg stood and turned slowly to take in the scene.

"Boss?" Spike's voice came over the radio. It was like a lifeline to Greg. Spike was still down there and still alive. Greg held on to that knowledge as if it were a life raft on a storm tossed sea.

"Boss?"

"Yeah, Spike." Greg's voice was tight.

"We're ready down here to start the extraction." Spike said. Greg could tell by Spike's voice that he wanted to say other things, things about the team. But Spike remained professional for the sake of the civilians. Greg sensed it was also so that Spike could deal with the loss of his teammates and keep focused on the task at hand.

"One moment, Spike." Greg replied. "We have to bring in a new truck. Is the path clear?"

Greg could tell Spike was looking up the shaft. "Shaft's clear. The hall is also clear between the room and the shaft.

"Ok, Spike. Let's get them out. And then you get out."

"Boss, I can stop this bomb. I know it."

"Spike…" Greg said, reluctant to let his last team member continue of a call that has killed four others already. But he knew that if anyone had the chance of stopping that bomb, Spike could do it.

"Do it."

"Copy that!"

Greg knew that Spike would keep working at getting that bomb completed. As he watched from beside the command truck, he could see the uniformed officers working to get the civilians out of the shaft.

"Spike," Greg said, "the bomber's name is Anatoly. Do you see him?"

"I see him." Spike replied. Greg could hear Spike initiate a conversation with Anatoly, trying to get him to tell Spike how to disable the bomb. He could hear Anatoly speaking about the project he was on, and how he believed that he had been fired without cause so that the company could steal the project – and the profits – from him. All the while, Greg could hear the subtle sounds of Spike's tools, working to disarm the bomb.

When Greg heard Spike talking to Anatoly and Anatoly mentioned that the project name was "Galina", he called to Spike through the radio.

"Spike! His mother's name was Galina."

"Galina!" Spike said. "That's the code to shut off the infrared sensors, isn't it?"

Greg heard no reply from Anatoly. He could hear Spike start working through the combination, trying to match the numbers on the number pad to the letters, as if it were a phone.

Suddenly, Greg heard a burst of static through the phone. Then the ground heaved. Greg was thrown to the ground. He knew. In his heart he knew. The bomb went off. Spike was gone.

As Greg fought to regain his feet, the building started to collapse, and he was thrown into profound darkness.

* * *

Greg woke to a suffocating feeling. He was surrounded by darkness. There was a weight across his chest and leg, trapping him on his back. He gasped for breath and forced his way clear. He sat up, frantically searching for light – any light. Something to light the darkness. There was nothing.

_The team._ He groaned. _The whole team… How?_ He put his head in his hands, absorbing the reality that his whole team had been killed, most of them right before his eyes. It was his worst nightmare.

He sat there for a time, unmoving. Eventually, he realized that there was another person near him, breathing quietly. He reached for the person to check for injuries. The person stirred, but did not speak. He realized that he would have to wait for rescue to come. He knew it would take some time. He lay back down and thought about the events. He mourned the loss of his team. His friends. After a time, he closed his eyes and slept.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

It was a clear morning, the light of dawn breaking over the city. There was good weather predicted for a stretch of time. Greg entered the SRU headquarters, subdued. It was very early, so the area was empty of all but Winnie at the desk. He walked with a purpose towards the locker room. Entering the room, he changed into his uniform and headed to the briefing room.

As he sat, thinking about the bombing and his team, he stared morosely out the window. He could hear the sounds of people moving behind him and breathed a heavy sigh. He wasn't ready to deal with the day yet.

"Hey, Boss! You're here early!" Spike's voice broke him from his reverie. Greg spun in his chair and looked at his bomb technician. He could see Jules, Sam and Raf enter the workout are, preparing to start their team workout.

Ed walked into the room with a concerned look on his face. Spike saw the look and turned to join his teammates in the workout area. Whatever was going on, he wasn't sure he wanted to hear it.

"Boss, you ok?" Ed said.

Greg stared at him, dumbfounded. The look on his face told Ed that Greg thought he was seeing a ghost. It was then that Greg realized it had all been a dream; a truly horrible nightmare. They were all alive and well and waiting for him to join them in the morning workout.

This was one morning he didn't need to motivate himself to get into the workout.

"Yeah, Eddie." He replied as he rose and headed for the workout area, smiling broadly. "I'm good."

_My worst nightmare._ He thought. _I just came face to face with my worst nightmare. Thank God that was all it was._

_Thank God they were all here, healthy, and living to keep the peace another day._


End file.
